Touched
by Titan of Saturn
Summary: AU - Kenshin, Touched by the Hitokiri named Battousai, and his Sekihotai partner Sanosuke battle the supernatural. But when Sano starts blacking out, and strange things begin to occur around him, he wonders if he is really as human as he thinks.
1. Begining

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line Breaks are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: May 15th :: 

:: 11.18 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sight and sound blurred into something unrecognizable, feeling vanished in a haze of numbness. Smell exploded across his senses, a horrible mix of smoke, metal, and the unmistakable sulfur of the Touched. He stumbled, only aware of it on an unconscious level. Pain flared in his right shoulder, knees giving out from under him. When he hit the floor everything snapped back into focus with a terrifying clarity.

A knife was coming at him.

* * *

Kenshin watched as his partner paled, stumbled, and fell. A sharp breath escaped the boy, color returning and eyes coming into focus. Kenshin dodged an incoming attack, and turned to see a knife flying at the kneeling Agent. 

_Sano!_

As if heading his call, Sanosuke looked up. _**Too late**_ Battousai whispered in his head, and Kenshin knew it spoke the truth. He could not get there in time, and Sano's human reflexes couldn't save him. Just when hope drained from the Hitokiri, Sanosuke's aura** flared** with a brightness he'd only felt in Touched. And then the boy moved, a jerk to the side that should have been clumsy and slow, but was executed with the quick grace of an animal. Sparks jumped in his vision, and Kenshin lost his partner in the fight.

* * *

_Uh-…What?_ Agent Sanosuke Sagara of the Sekihotai First Division looked down at the corpse spread at his feet. Knew the Lamia was dead, just as surely as he knew he was the one that killed her. Not that he could actually remember the act, everything after the pain in his shoulder was vague feelings and images, and a bone-deep **knowing** that this vampire was dead and he had done it. Another bodyguard came at him, human this time (not quite sure how he knew that, but was too busy fighting to think about it) and so easy to dispatch. Sanosuke could see Kenshin across the room, the glint of his sword just a flash as he took down three attackers with one swing. The head of reddish auburn hair was just visible through his own crowd of attackers, thankfully not the pure scarlet of Battousai. He didn't think he could handle that right now. 

Sword still sheathed at his waist Sanosuke lunged at the closest figure, dodging a swipe and delivering an uppercut that threw his attacker's head back with a _crunch_ of broken vertebrae. Not even pausing, Sano turned to the next. This strength was normal for him, even if it wasn't for other humans. When he'd joined Aku Sentou, a division of the police that dealt with the Touched, all kinds of tests had been run to try and figure out what the cause was; to see if maybe one of his real parents had been Touched. Fortunately for him, Sanosuke was 100 percent pure human.

Eventually the gang was taken down and their leader was arrested. Sanosuke snapped on handcuffs made of special alloy and pushed the Touched man into the grasp of Sweeper Agents. He was exhausted; strange, because usually he's hyped after a fight and only getting drunk will put him to sleep. Sanosuke shook it off, absently rubbing at his right shoulder.

"Sano," It had hurt really badly earlier. He wasn't sure why, Megumi had said the wound was healing nicely. "Sano?" Damn! That got him thinking about that bastard Saitou. He really should challenge him to a fight. Hand to hand, no swords. Stupid he may be, but Sanosuke wasn't _that_ stupid. "Sanosuke!" Sano's head jerked to the left, eyes falling upon Kenshin's worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin' man. Just tired is all." Kenshin smiled and nodded his head. Sano's partner would accept that, because while he knew Sanosuke had a drinking problem, he didn't know why. It was the only way he could get to sleep at night.

"Well then, you'd better get home. Come in early so we can give our report. Sleep well." Sanosuke yawned. Yeah, he'd sleep well. As he was walking out the door Kenshin called to him again. "Oh, and Sano? It would be wise to get Megumi to check your shoulder again, that it would."

Well damn!

* * *

:: March 31st :: 

:: 1.08 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke frowned at Kenshin's empty apartment. He _had_ told Kenshin he was coming over, right? Damn, the guy was probably out to lunch. He could have bummed a free meal. Not to mention, the fact he was even here in the first place was because Kenshin had borrowed his sword; something about proper maintenance and inept partners. And Sanosuke had no idea where it was.

Startled out of his contemplation by a knock, Sano opened Kenshin's door to a salesman. He was clean cut in a pressed Navy and gray suit, not expensive but presentable. His hair was slicked back, long strands falling into his face – probably in an attempt to dissuade the picture of superiority that the hairstyle usually tried to portray. The salesman started talking, opening a kit to display the brand of painkillers he was selling. He smiled at Sano pleasantly, eyes closed as if to say 'look at me, I'm sincere, please buy my stuff.' It really bugged him.

So Sanosuke, being himself, spit out the rudest thing he could think of.

* * *

:: May 16th :: 

:: 6.32 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke yawned, propping his feet up on Kenshin's desk. When he'd walked in on time this morning the receptionist at the front desk nearly died of shock – she did fall out of her chair. Myers had spilt his coffee, and Tomoe had dumped hers out in a conveniently placed potted plant, muttering something about c_offee_, _Americans_, and_never again_. When he'd walked into the office that he and Kenshin shared, however, all he'd gotten was smile and a _Hello Sano_ for his trouble. Damn Hitokiri, never startled by anything. It was that ki sense of theirs, sensing people before they were even in sight.

Unluckily, (or luckily, depending on the situation) the Battousai strain of Hitokiri was one of the stronger ones, thus his unbelievable ki sense. It was why Kenshin was here, working with Sanosuke. The infection had been purposeful and malicious, Kenshin Himura a civilian child who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people. And Battousai had really _taken_ to Kenshin, who was already a master of the sword and whose DNA was just too compatible with the virus. Then there was the incident with Jin-e Udo; Udo, while not very powerful, was a particularly nasty and vicious Hitokiri strand, and unknown Battousai infected Kenshin Himura had been the one to, incredibly, deal with him. The Shinsingumi had lost a good man when the virus took Kazuma Jin-e.

So Aku Sentou, not willing to let such a dangerous Battousai infected run free, had 'offered' Kenshin a job. Sanosuke, being from the Sekihotai division, had been assigned as his partner. The Sekihotai were specifically trained to be the human partner for the Touched that worked at Aku Sentou. While Sekihotai watched, grounded, assisted, and protected their partners, their most important job was to kill their partner if the Touched ever posed a threat or looked like they were going rouge. Kenshin knew this, of course; Sanosuke had insisted Kenshin be there when he'd Pledged it. Kenshin had just smiled and thanked him. It was the first time they met.

"So of those twenty six I took down, three of them are dead." Kenshin said aloud as he marked which people he'd apprehended last night by identifying their photos. His smile was gone, probably adding those three to his mental tally of people he killed. Sanosuke didn't say anything – had nothing _to_ say, considering he had his own tally. And Kenshin's sum of dead people was a lot lower than his.

One word: _pacifist_.

"The rest must be mine then, let's see . . .-" Sanosuke traced his finger down the list of names still left, saying them out loud absently.

"What!?" Kenshin's head shot up from his report.

"What?" Sanosuke asked. Kenshin had a strange look on his face.

"Tell me that last one again."

"Uh . . . Yumi Minamino, why?"

"Sano, Yumi is a powerful Lamia; a legend for her hypnotic abilities. _Aoshi_ would have had trouble standing up to her, if only because humans are so susceptible to her power. I'm sorry, but there is no way you could have taken her." Kenshin's words made Sanosuke stop and think. Sure, he'd never been normal (well, maybe when he was really little, but that wasn't relevant) and spells and such generally had a lesser affect on him than most humans. But the way Kenshin was explaining this vamp made this different . . . and disturbing, as the memory of the female Lamia at his feet came to mind.

"I remember her." Sanosuke said thoughtfully. "Black hair, colored contacts, slutty dresser? Yeah, I remember. Problem is I don't actually remember killing her." There was a pause, Kenshin's violet eyes watching intently, and waiting. "Do you . . ." Sanosuke started, frown pulling at his lips. "Did you see when I stumbled?" Kenshin nodded. "It was like, a dizzy spell. Everything got fuzzy, and my shoulder started to hurt like crazy. There was something after that, I can't remember well. Then it was like I woke up from sleeping or something and Yumi was dead at my feet. That's all there was." Kenshin had that look on his face again, his eyes troubled.

"Sano, why don't you go get us some donuts from the lounge and I'll finish up this report." Kenshin smiled at him pleasantly, the look on his face saying he needed to think.

"Sure, Ken." Sanosuke stood and left the office. He needed to think too.

* * *

I know the fight scene at the beginning was dull, but that was intentional. I _can_ write fight scenes, to an extent, but it was supposed to convey that the whole raid was easy for Sanosuke and Kenshin. Also, Sano's absentminded thoughts as he fought were important background information. 

Hope you like, give me feed back.

—_TS_


	2. Suspicion

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line brakes are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: March 31st :: 

:: 1.11 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

"What happened to you guys using phones? At least then I could hang up on you."

"Well, I suppose you could slam the door in my face." It was said in the most polite tone possible, yet . . . Sanosuke wasn't sure what it was, but something in that sentence screamed danger. Like slamming the door in the face of this man was a _bad_ idea.

Something was wrong. Mrs. Yukimura, Kenshin's neighbor, was quiet. She threw a tantrum if she was disturbed, and took pleasure in spreading her misery. If the man had stopped at her apartment to sell, she'd be banging the walls and furniture. So the salesman must not have gone to her apartment yet. But Sanosuke had come from the other direction, and he hadn't seen the man.

The only explanation was that he had come strait here, to this apartment. Pushing away his thoughts and the sound of the salesman's droning, Sanosuke called upon the abilities that Captain Sagara had taught him and Kenshin had later perfected.

* * *

:: May 16th :: 

:: 8.48 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

The more he thought about it, the more he didn't like the implications. Sanosuke was acting normal, goofing off and pretending to sleep. But Kenshin could see the tension in his eyes, the worry that now hung over him. Sano hadn't thought anything of it at first, had brushed it off as an odd happening in an odd world, like he usually did. When he'd heard Kenshin's grave recounting of Yumi's abilities, his confidence that it was just another strange thing that had happened to or around him (out of a multitude of strange things) vanished.

He'd seen Sano after that fight last night; his partner had been confused, disoriented. Something had happened. Sano could no longer brush it off, and the look on his face when he'd recounted the story had been the same look from the night before. Worried, confused, unsure – emotions Sanosuke was _not_ associated with.

* * *

:: May 16th :: 

:: 9.00 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

The meeting started at exactly nine o'clock. Sanosuke and Kenshin went into detail about the raid from the night before, giving their report to the boss. He was pleased. Boss read over the report, congratulated them, and then dismissed them. He told them to come back in tomorrow for their next assignment.

"Oh, and boys? Who was it that took down this…Yumi Minamino? She was very powerful." Sanosuke froze. He'd thought it over, and the more he'd thought about it the more he decided that his boss shouldn't know, at least until he understood himself. The last thing Sanosuke wanted was more tests. As he opened his mouth, thinking an answer inevitable, Kenshin spoke up.

"I did." Sanosuke glanced at him, trying to keep his shock off of his face.

"And how did you resist her spells?"

"Simple." Kenshin said with one of his smiles. "I didn't look in her eyes. Without eye contact her spells are useless against Touched." As they left the office Sanosuke looked at his partner. "How does breakfast at the Akubeko sound, Sano?" Well, he wasn't one to turn down a meal.

"Sure Ken. And thanks."

"Whatever for?"

* * *

:: March 31st :: 

:: 1.13 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Pull there, tug here, gather ki, and **see**. Opening his eyes Sanosuke**gazed** at the other man's ki. It was small, golden, nothing dangerous to him, and . . .-what was _that_!? Thin black bands were wrapped horizontally across this man's ki. _Binds_, Sanosuke realized with a start. He blinked when the salesman's voice filtered in, grip on his **sight** falling with his surprise.

"So if you'd like to buy-"

"Hold on, I don't even live here. The owner of the place is out."

"Oh my," He said, smile still on his face as he began to pack up. That smile reminded him way too much of Kenshin's _trust-me-I'm-harmless_ smile. No way was Sanosuke letting it go that easy.

"You have really narrow eyes, mister." The eyes; he needed to see this guy's eyes. They said everything, and they'd been squinted nearly closed the entire time.

"I can't help what I'm born with." _The hell you can't._ Sanosuke shot out his hand, grabbing the guy's wrist, eyes fixed on the stranger's face.

"You weren't born with these. Gonna tell me how a pharmacist got sword calluses?" _Open your eyes_, Sanosuke willed. And then the man did just that, revealing a pair of shining, golden orbs.

* * *

:: May 16th :: 

:: 10.01 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Breakfast went well, neither of them bringing up the subject of the night before. They parted ways afterwards, and Sanosuke found himself at the Missy's Dojo, helping to fix the place up for some cash, which he had promptly gone gambling with. After cutting short his winning streak (figures, now that he had no need for more money) Sanosuke went to a pub and got smashingly drunk.

The bartender eventually kicked him out, so Sanosuke staggered down the road to his flat, drunk, tired, and being followed. Not that Sanosuke_knew_ that, but that's what was happing. He paused to lean against a wall, to steady his steps and the world around him. It was then that he was jumped.

Five men, _all_ Touched, pounced on him. A struggle went on for a few minutes, Sanosuke loosing horribly due to his inebriated state. He was sober enough to be beyond frustrated as his slow thoughts and even slower reaction time refused to improve, but still too drunk to do anything about it.

One of them caught his right arm in a half hold. He wrenched it behind Sanosuke's back. Then one, two, three fists to his stomach. Pain flared. Sano struck out blindly with a leg. It hit air. Sanosuke made a sound. He swung his free arm around to his left. It caught another in the eye, hard. The man went down.

His left arm was immobilized, suddenly. Sano had no idea when it'd happened. Both men pushed hard on their respective arms, sending him to his knees.

Then something strange happened, just as he was subdued. His sight started to white out, a roaring sound filled his ears, and his blood was suddenly on fire, burning him from the inside out. Then everything_cleared_, in a sudden Déjà Vu of the night before. An animalistic snarl escaped him, lips pulling back to bare his teeth at his attackers. With strength beyond a human, beyond Sanosuke, he pushed up and out, dislodging all of his assaulters.

"Shit! He's-!"

"No way!"

"He can't be!"

"Master said-!" And blood flew.


	3. Taste

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line brakes are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: May 17th :: 

:: 1.13 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke came to his senses stumbling down an alley. He halted abruptly, surprised at the change in his surroundings. Groaning as the world spun Sanosuke leaned against a wall. He ached, really badly. Like he'd been tied down and beat up – not that any kind of rope could keep him down. Then memories of a bar and drowning sake came to the surface of his mind. Hazy images were recalled after that: staggering down the street to his house and getting jumped by a lot of men._Touched_ Sanosuke corrected himself, and then wondered how he knew that.

_Drip . . . drip . . . drip._

Something was leaking. Sanosuke looked down to where he heard the noise and found a puddle of dark water. He stared at it for a couple of minutes, trying to get his thoughts in order and brain working. It was then he realized the puddle wasn't water. Quick hands searched his person, looking for the injury that was bleeding. Adrenalin masked pain. Even if he didn't feel it, if he was dripping blood he was probably hurt badly. But the search only found him covered in blood and with no injuries.

Sanosuke started regulating his breathing with deep, purposeful breaths; trying to forgo the inevitable panic attack, being covered in someone else's blood and having no idea how it happened. He pressed his forehead against a cool brick wall, breathing in and out, pushing his tongue absently against the roof of his mouth . . .

Sanosuke turned and was violently sick, dry heaving until his body ached even more. He ran a shaking tongue along the outside of his teeth, the taste making him double over again. Quickly Sanosuke staggered to his flat, making his way to his bathroom immediately. There he scrubbed and scrubbed and _scrubbed_ at his teeth, over and over, with toothpaste and hand soap.

Anything to get the taste of blood out of his mouth.

* * *

:: March 31st :: 

:: 1.15 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke pulled back quickly. Though he'd suspected it, it still surprised him. He'd gotten none of the warning signs of a Touched, and it was only experience and suspicion that made him look closer. It was probably luck he had seen the binds at all.

"You are a very perceptive person. I'm impressed, Sanosuke Sagara." _He knows my name!_

"You have no idea." Sanosuke shot back, hand going to the holster in his jacket.

"So Himura Battousai is not home." The salesman said, hand reaching behind him. "I guess I'll just leave him a gift then."

The man drew a sword.

* * *

:: May 29th :: 

:: 2.58 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

After the incident two weeks ago, Sanosuke woke up the morning after and convinced himself that it was a very strange nightmare. He even managed to ignore the bloodied clothes in his garbage. Even so, he kept watch on the news for any unexplained murders. It only fueled his denial when there was none. Their latest case was a snap, and Sanosuke thankfully had no more strange incidents. He was very relieved when Kenshin stopped looking at him like he was going to sprout fangs.

"I'll have pasta with plain sauce, thanks." Sanosuke ordered, handing his menu to the pretty blonde waitress. He smiled flirtatiously at her, and she blushed, turning to the other occupants of the table.

"I want a steak! This one here." The young brown haired boy pointed to a spot on his menu.

"Yahiko!" The little missy reprimanded. "That's way too big for you."

"Sanosuke will help me finish it, won't you Sano?" Sanosuke had to exercise a lot of self-control to keep himself from turning green. He'd stayed away from meat since that terrible dream. The taste of blood still lingered, real or not.

"Sorry kid, you're on your own. It's Kenshin's dinner I'm stealing from today." Kenshin, who had that look on his face, watching him again.

"See! Get something else." Karou demanded of her brother.

"Fine fine, I'll get the Ramen dish."

"Will that be all?" The waitress asked politely. When everyone nodded their heads, she turned to leave.

"Did you see that?" Karou gushed. "She winked at you, Sano!"

"Of course she did, Missy. It's my rugged good looks and charm." Yahiko snorted next to him. That ended up becoming an argument that lasted until their food came, and then another after that. It started with Karou's 'Hey, I thought you were stealing from Kenshin!' when he nabbed her skewered pickle. He didn't really _like_ pickles; he'd just done it to make her mad. All in all it was a really nice dinner. Kenshin even paid. Of course, Karou had made him leave the tip. She was probably been trying to set him up.

"Aren't you going to throw that out?" The young woman asked.

"Huh?"

"The tooth pick you got with my pickle."

"Oh." He had been chewing on it, hadn't he? Strange Sanosuke hadn't noticed. "Nah, I think I'll hold on to it just to remind you how bad your reflexes are."

"Why you . . ." Karou steamed. Yahiko and Kenshin laughed and both got lumps on the head for it. Just another normal day.

* * *

:: March 31st :: 

:: 1.16pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

_Shit!_

"You came looking for a fight." Sanosuke pulled his gun, cursing Kenshin for being such a clean freak and leaving him without his sword, because damnit, all he had was regular ammo. There wasn't a cold iron weapon in sight. His gun was going to be useless – all it'd do was stall the actual fight, before the Touched man healed.

"Fine, you've got one." Sanosuke dropped his gun and threw his right hook. That always dropped them. Sanosuke grinned when his fist made solid contact, the thrum in his blood stirring at the fight. The man, however, just smiled into his fist. Spooked, Sanosuke pulled away.

"You are stronger than I had expected, stronger than most humans. But it doesn't matter." The sword was being transferred into his left hand, body sliding into what was an obvious sword form. It looked familiar. _Where have I seen this before? Something about the left hand; that his sword is in the left hand is very, very bad._ And realization struck. Eyes wide, Sanosuke muttered one word to the man flying towards him.

"_Shinsengumi_."

* * *

Okay, this chapter is dedicated to hitokiri.black because she put me on her _Favorite Stories_ list. It encouraged me so much that I got this one out pretty fast. Well, fast for me. I warn everyone that intervals between updates will not be consistent. I've been pretty sick since the second week of school (the doctor thinks it's Mono) so I've had more time to write. Please Review, I want to know how I'm doing. 

—TS


	4. Help

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line brakes are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: March 31st ::

:: 1.18 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke felt himself hit the bookcase opposite Kenshin's door. A crunching sound echoed in his ears, and he wondered hazily if it was the oak shelves or his ribs. It was fifty-fifty which was stronger. Sanosuke grunted a little when the fake salesman pulled the sword from his shoulder. Footsteps went towards the door, and emotion swelled in him. _No!_ He would not go down that easy. Sanosuke wrenched himself to his feet painfully, panting.

"Hey narrow eyes, our fight ain't over."

* * *

:: May 31st ::

:: 4.50 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke Sagara hummed happily, a smile on his face. He'd just beaten up a whole group of thugs with one hand. His eyes closed too of course, otherwise it wouldn't have been fair. It'd been a nice challenging fight like that, and he'd had fun. Sanosuke paused and sniffed. Had he just . . .- yes! Food! Grinning happily he looked around for the source. He paused, and then slowly Sanosuke scanned the street again. There were no restaurants in sight. Frowning around the tooth pick in his mouth, Sanosuke started to consider dropping the whole denial thing and looking at the facts, strait out. Sanosuke wasn't stupid; he knew something sure as hell was up with him.

Sanosuke stiffened, adrenalin suddenly pumping through his body. Something big- something _important_ was near, and that really wigged him out because, besides that vision trick the Captain taught him, Sanosuke's ki sensing ability was limited to _immediate danger_ and _fuck, he's trying to kill me_ when someone let off killer intent.

A whiff of smoke, and there he was. _Hajime Saitou._ But then he was gone, lost in the crowd, and Sanosuke was so mad he was _growling_.

_Wait- growling?_ He was, too. A deep rumbling in his chest, and he was grinding his teeth so hard the wooden tooth pick in his mouth had splintered. Sanosuke stopped immediately. Yes, something was definitely wrong with him.

* * *

:: June 1st ::

:: 9.01pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

Kenshin Himura smiled at the Hitokiri before him, not willing to let his worry show. He was a boy, a child, and he had just walked up to him and asked to fight Battousai. Not Kenshin, but _Battousai_. Such a thing was almost unheard of.

The question was polite, said with a smile like it was an everyday request. And the boy was far stranger than that. His hair was blue, something that happened with most Hitokiri when they took control of their hosts (not blue specifically, but some strange hair color), yet his eyes were not golden, which _always_ happened when the Hitokiri is in control.

"I am Soujiro Seta, or Soujiro Tenken, if you prefer," The boy announced with a smile. It was an odd name and introduction to go with an odd Touched. Hitokiri were called by the host's last name followed by the name of the virus strain. He was Kenshin Himura, and his virus was Battousai, and when one referred to them both, he was 'Himura Battousai'. So why did the boy use his first name? Why 'Soujiro Tenken' and not 'Seta Tenken'? What was the significance?

"My master wishes me to fight you, Himura-san, but you can't match me. That's why I ask to fight Battousai, you see." _**This boy . . . he is not a normal Hitokiri.**_ _I noticed._ Kenshin mused. _He has no emotions or intent in his ki at all._ _**It's more than that.**_ But the virus would not elaborate.

"I'm sorry, Soujiro Tenken, but you will not be fighting Battousai." Sanosuke snorted next to him, and Kenshin was startled at how close his partner had gotten without him noticing. Soujiro's eyes slid to Sano at the sound, and his smile grew.

"Ah, Sagara-san! I would ask you kindly not to interfere." _Interfere? Why would Sano interfere? And why would it matter to a Touched? Sano is human._ Battousai laughed, and Kenshin found his presence almost disturbing. Battousai stayed silent during his day to day life, and he rarely faced opponents worthy of Battousai's influence. Kenshin was unused to conversing with the Hitokiri. _**Do you really still believe that Host? Then you are not as smart as I've given you credit for. Even the boy notices.**_ _Notices what?_

Kenshin got no answer.

* * *

:: March 31st ::

:: 1.21 pm ::

:: JE 394 ::

The other man paused in licking his sword clean and Sanosuke caught something flash in those golden eyes.

"You should have stayed down." He told him. Sanosuke grinned at him even though his entire right side was aflame in pain.

"Then you obviously don't know me at all, former Shinsengumi third division Captain, Hajime Saitou." Sano smirked. "If you'd wanted to remain anonymous you shouldn't have used a signature move on an Agent of Aku Sentou." Saitou pulled his lips back and bared his Wolf fangs in acknowledgement. Then he lifted his sword again and struck, like lightning. Pain exploded this time, because Saitou got him in the same shoulder, in the same _wound _even. Sanosuke only had time to admire the precision before passing out.

* * *

:: June 3rd ::

:: 1.18 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke couldn't sleep. He'd gotten really drunk and he still couldn't sleep. He'd gotten even more drunk and that didn't work either. Damnit. Why couldn't he sleep? Standing up, Sanosuke growled in frustration and started pacing his room. He wanted to hit something, bite something, to tear someone apart with his teeth.

Sanosuke went very still.

Since when had he ever wanted to _eat_ anybody? He'd never wanted to_eat_ another person, the thought hadn't even occurred to him before now. Sanosuke started pacing again before reaching over and grabbing a toothpick and shoving it in his mouth. Gnawing on it absently his mind raced, trying to figure it out. He had all the signs, all the quirks – what if he'd somehow been Touched? You'd think he'd remember the transfer; he was trained to look for that stuff after all.

Gah! He wasn't smart enough to figure this out. He needed outside advice. Kenshin was out, he worked at Aku Sentou, and Sano remembered vividly what they did to the last Sekihotai who was Touched. So that meant no one in the organization. That ruled out Megumi too, damn, because she'd know. Not Missy or Yahiko either, they didn't know enough to help him.

That left one person.

* * *

Thank you reviewers, hope you like this update. Please keep reviewing and L, if you go back to last chapter, I fixed it. Thanx.

—TS


	5. Realization

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line brakes are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: June 3rd :: 

:: 2.51 am ::

:: JE 394 ::

Aoshi Shinomori liked the night. That was expected, he was a ninja after all. The leader of the Oniwabanshu should feel more comfortable in the dark than the light. So he sat in his study early in the morning and finished the paperwork for their latest case, thoughts drifting down the hall and into Misao's room. She was sick, and he was worried. She wasn't getting better. The doctor Okina had brought in hadn't known what was wrong with her, settling for giving her an anti-biotic. But that made Aoshi even more worried.

The Oniwabanshu was a privet organization, and dealt mostly with the Touched who caused large companies or rich people problems. It wasn't unheard of for them to work along side Aku Sentou, but the Oniwabanshu didn't like it. They were ninjas, and dealt with things in secret as a rule. Aku Sentou, on the other hand, was public, messy, and sloppy.

Except for the Shinsengumi.

Aoshi considered briefly calling Megumi, but then removed the thought from his head. No matter past relations, the woman worked for Aku Sentou now. She was a professional, and he couldn't trust her to keep it off the books. He did not want Aku Sentou meddling in the business of the Oniwabanshu, even just for medical treatment.

Aoshi stilled his thoughts then, as he felt the wards at the gate pull. He tracked the person as they walked up the path, and then halted at the front door, making no move to knock or enter. They were familiar, but only slightly, and knew the ways of his house. Deciding, Aoshi stood and made his way to the door, a silent command sweeping aside its wards. Then he opened it.

There stood someone he had never thought to see there. Wearing his usual bleached jeans, black shirt and white button up, complete with that ridiculous red headband, Sanosuke Sagara looked back at him seriously. The white outfit clashed with the darkness behind him, and Aoshi was reminded of what a horrible ninja Sagara would be. It only re-enforced his opinion of Sentou Agents.

"Why are you here?" Sagara looked him in the eye, and for a heart stopping second Aoshi thought they were gold. But the moment passed and they were brown again, and Sagara was speaking.

"I need your help."

"Mine?"

"Yeah." And Aoshi understood. Silently he stood aside, a wordless invitation. Sagara entered with a grim face and a thankful nod of his head.

It was a good thing he liked nights, because this was sure to be a long one.

* * *

:: September 14th :: 

:: 8.56pm ::

:: JE 380 ::

"Captain!" Sanosuke heaved for breath, bringing his sword up again to block the attack. The nine year old held his ground against the grown man with grim determination. "Captain, they've got guns!" The small, spikey haired boy yelled out in warning, ducking as another Aku Sentou Sweeper Agent swung for his head. Katsu came to his rescue, bringing about his gun with practiced ease and firing on the man attacking Sano from behind. Katsuhiro was older than he was, so the captain had taught him how to use a gun. The thirteen year old had taken to it quickly.

"Sano, stay down and out of their way!" Katsu told him, grabbing the lapels of his Sekihotai jacket and pulling him into an alley. "Captain's orders!"

"Why are we being attacked? We're on the same side, this makes no sense!"

"One of the men in our unit was Touched by a Wolf on our last mission. Aku Sentou thinks its spread, but there's no way to tell in people if it's dormant and will activate later. So they're killing the whole unit."

"But that's stupid! They need everyone they can get to fight the Shinsengumi; they were Aku Sentou's best!"

"They also don't want another of their divisions to go rogue, so they're exterminating any and all possibility of that happening."

"What do we do?"

"_I_ am going to go back out there and help the Captain. _You_ are going to stay right here and not get killed." With that Katsu turned and jumped back into the fight, guns wielded expertly in small hands. Sano glared out at the people before him. The Sekihotai were loosing. Not obviously, but they were.

The Sekihotai, trained in self defense, protection, back up, and a swift kill, were so much more skilled than the newest addition to the Aku Sentou. Sweepers were poor substitutes for the highly trained and disciplined Shinsengumi. But still, four Sweeper units, bumbling, unorganized, and heavily dependent on guns, were a much greater threat than one Sekihotai division that had suffered recent casualties.

Scared out of his mind, but loyal to the end, Sanosuke picked up a gun and rejoined the fight.

* * *

:: June 3rd :: 

:: 3.14am ::

:: JE 394 ::

Sanosuke shifted uncomfortably on the traditional _tami_ mats that the Oniwabanshu restaurant used. Aoshi Shinomori didn't look the slightest bit uncomfortable. He didn't look anything, actually, but that was the way the sorcerer always was. Sanosuke again doubted his decision to come, and again ran through his other options. Right, he didn't have any. So, freaky ninja sorcerer it was.

"There's something wrong with me, and I can't figure out what." Sanosuke said finally, only to cringe at his word choice. If this wasn't Aoshi, and he wasn't serious, that could have been a blow to his pride. Thank god he hadn't gone to Megumi with that line. He could just hear her. _'I've known that for years, bird-head, and I can tell you _exactly_ what's wrong with you. Give me a moment and I can print out a list.'_

"I came here because you're not Aku Sentou, and anyone else I could go to wouldn't be able to figure it out any more than I have. Trust me when I say you were my last choice."

"Tell me." Sanosuke let out a breath of relief, and told Aoshi_everything_. It came out in a jumbled mess, things he remembered out of order, or stuff he hadn't thought strange until put with the rest of it. Aoshi stayed absolutely silent throughout the whole explanation, even when Sanosuke put in some confused and frustrated ranting.

"And this is all that damn bastard's fault!" Sanosuke concluded angrily, deciding it was absolutely fair to blame everything on Saitou. He then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. "Sorry." He mumbled to the other man, eyes on the table between them.

"This all started when?"

"About a month ago, I think. That raid was in the beginning of May. That was the first thing."

"And you said that during most of the severe incidents, an old wound on your shoulder pained you?"

"Yeah," Sanosuke rubbed at it automatically, not the first time that night. Morning. Whatever. "Only it's not so old, really. I mean, I have newer ones, but it's still a scar I got this year."

"How long ago?"

"Did I get it? Um, that was the end of March. I remember waking up from the surgery and finding out I'd missed April Fools Day. What a bummer. Another thing to kill Saitou for." Something flashed across Aoshi's face at his words, and Sanosuke sat up straighter. "What?"

"Captain Hajime Saitou, a Wolf of the Shinsengumi?"

"The one and only. What, did he put a curse on me or something?"

"He struck you down, and you _lived_?" It was very creepy when Aoshi Shinomori started putting emphasis on words. Sanosuke suddenly thought he preferred the monotone better.

"Uh . . . yeah?"

"Show me." Sanosuke, starting to get even _more_ uncomfortable but refusing to leave without his answers, shrugged off his white shirt and pulled the black T over his head. The Sekihotai Agent jumped when Aoshi appeared at his side, long fingers reaching for the mark left by Saitou's blade. Sanosuke sat as still as possible while the sorcerer inspected it.

Aoshi was murmuring to himself as he did, (in monotone, which was really_really_ creepy) purple sparks crackling at his fingers as he did. Sanosuke caught most of it, considering the guy was right by his ear, but a whole lot of it was in languages he didn't understand.

"It's clean of magic," Aoshi informed him, pulling away. "And barring the effects of a strike from the Gatotsu, I don't see how it's connected."

"Two strikes." Sanosuke muttered absently, reaching up to rub at the spot again, trying to dissipate the numbness Shinomori's magic had caused. "I got up again. He really didn't like that." After a few seconds Sanosuke realized that Aoshi had frozen part way up, and was staring at him, hard. "What?"

As if his question had snapped the ninja out of a daydream, Aoshi started to move again. After sitting once again at his spot across the table, Aoshi resumed looking at Sanosuke, this time with an eerie light reflecting in his eyes. Sanosuke got the feeling that the ninja was attempting to look through him.

"Shinsengumi wolves licked their blades clean after a kill." Aoshi informed him. "No human is said to have survived a single Gatotsu attack, let alone two."

"But Kenshin–"

"Is Hitokiri, Touched, he is not human. And neither are you."

* * *

OMG! It's actually here! The fifth chapter of _Touched_ has finally aired. For all of you who loved this and died waiting for this update, please check my profile for the low down on what's happening with it. I'd really rather not explain it again. Thank you to all of my reviewers. 

—TS


	6. Turning

Disclaimer: The characters of _Rurouni Kenshin_ are not mine. I am using them without the permission of their owner. By writing and posting this story I am in no way gaining profit.

Line brakes are changes in view, time and/or scene.

:: Words :: in colons dictate setting.

_Words_ in Italics are thoughts and emphasis.

**Words** in Bold are sixth sense perceptions. (i.e. ki sense.)

_**Words**_ in Bold and Italic are the inner speech of Hitokiri. (i.e. Battousai talking to Kenshin)

Author's Note: Please pay attention to the dates. They're there for a reason. Story rated for some moderate to hard language. Thank you. —TS

* * *

:: June 3rd :: 

:: 3.29am ::

:: JE 394 ::

_Holy hell. He so did not just say what I think he said._ The ninja just looked at him. Aoshi Shinomori did not joke. He wasn't joking. This wasn't a joke. _He did just say what I think he said._

"Well shit." Sanosuke managed. "How the hell did that happen? I mean, I'm Sekihotai, I would have fucking _noticed_ if I'd been Touched."

"In the conventional sense."

"In the conventional sense? What does that mean? What other sense is there?"

"Regressive genes."

"What? No way, if I had regressive genes I'd have been Touched a hundred times over by now." Sanosuke rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache begin to form.

"Wolf genes only respond to like genes."

"This doesn't make sense, neither of my parents were-" Sanosuke cut himself off, the answer hitting him like blow to his gut. Hell, that made _sense_. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Well, besides denial, there was fear and pain, along with unpleasant memories, but still, _hello?_

_The irony,_ Sanosuke thought with bitter humor. _Aku Sentou kills Captain Sagara's entire division to prevent any from becoming Touched right in the middle of their war with the Shinsengumi, and the only one they miss actually _does_ get Touched._ Sanosuke dropped his head in his hands. _And it's a surviving Shinsengumi Captain that finishes the process. _Sanosuke couldn't help himself: he began to laugh.

"Thanks Shinomori, at least now I know what the hell is going on." Sanosuke managed to get out through his laughter. He stood and left, not caring if the ninja thought he'd cracked. Sanosuke grinned to the night sky. Now that he knew, it was a whole different ball game.

But first, he had to figure out what to do about Aku Sentou.

* * *

Dealing with his employers turned out to be the easy part. Hell, his fellow workers didn't even notice anything different. Though the Touched he met on the job sure as hell noticed. He hadn't figured out why exactly he's so acknowledged, regular Wolves weren't usually respected much among the Touched population – which was ironically due to their extensive involvement in Aku Sentou and the Shinsengumi. 

His life seemed to be full of irony recently.

But no, the people he really had to look out for were the Juppongatona. Because, stupid him, he had gone to a damn ninja for help. A damn Oniwabanshu ninja. Who _hired out_ to anyone with enough money to pay. Who had someone in their organization that was deathly ill. Someone who, most likely, was very precious to their leader.

A leader who had given information to Makoto Shishio on Kenshin and Battousai, and _him_. Who had told their enemies of his newest status as Touched. And that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Sano hated ninja's.

He hadn't really noticed the smell until it wasn't there anymore. As he'd come to know about his new senses, some things popped out immediately, and others were subtle. And just as he hadn't noticed the oppressing feeling of magic in the Oniwabanshu restaurant until he'd left, he also hadn't noticed the smell until it was gone. A particularly repugnant smell, that he'd eventually discerned as the smell of illness.

That turned out to be very bad for him.

Worse for Kenshin, who had crossed blades with the man more than once. And crossing blades left its mark; Shinomori would know Kenshin more than most. On top of that, he had to watch out for the Hitokiri himself. As much as he'd wanted to break down before and spill, and as much as he knew Kenshin suspected something, Sanosuke was still indecisive. Kenshin was an Aku Sentou Agent. And Aku Sentou had no love for the Wolves, this Sanosuke knew first hand.

* * *

And then, unfortunately, there was Saitou.

* * *


End file.
